Matt LeBlanc opens up about Joey struggle

The funnyman starred in Joey after Friends went off the air in 2004, but the sitcom failed to win over viewers and critics and was cancelled after just two seasons.

LeBlanc insists he has no regrets about joining Joey, but admits the series might have been more successful if the scripts had stayed true to his most famous character.

He tells The Guardian, "I would do that again; I thought that it was a good show. I just think that we were telling stories that emasculated the character. They wrote a guy who became very doubtful of himself in this new place, in Hollywood, no friends, can't meet girls - and that's not who Joey was. He was always, always, always, the consummate optimist. Always. And that's not who they wrote. That was very frustrating for me."

LeBlanc had pushed for Friends creator David Crane to take charge but the TV guru turned down the job and studio bosses forged ahead with new scriptwriters.

The actor adds, "I guess if I could go back in time... I would have put my foot down and said, 'I'm not doing it without David.' That's the one thing I would do differently... (But) I made a f**king s**tload of money so call it a failure all you want."